Resurrecting a Ghost Village in Portugal

Pedro Pedrosa and his wife Sofia left city life over a decade ago to live in a mostly-abandoned farming village in Central Portugal. After creating their home from several small outbuildings, they continued to experiment with local building materials- cork, pine, lime, and slate- by transforming three stone storage sheds into “Nature Houses.” Their town, … Read more

Cempedak Island Bamboo Hotel in Indonesia

Cempedak is an island hotel built in Indonesia entirely of bamboo, recycled teak and rubber wood and topped with grass-thatched roofs. There are no walls, not even in the second-floor bedroom and shower, in order to catch the sea breezes and be lulled to sleep by the lapping sea. The architects converted the conceptual drawings … Read more

German Experimental Flax/CLT Roofed Pavilion

Students at the University of Stuttgart in Germany have developed a hybrid flax fibre/cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof for a prototype pavilion in Germany which enables column-free spans and demonstrates the structural application of a bio-based alternative to timber. This system forms the wave-like roof of an experimental building designed for a garden show on the … Read more

A Renovated Centuries-Old Home in Spain

Reminiscent Home is a century-old residence in Spain that has recently been renovated by the founder of architecture practice Funcionable and it happens to be the where he was born. “Many of the transformation operations have resulted in involuntary restitution of very ancient previous states, prior even to the author’s brief period of residence in his … Read more

Recycled Building Materials Made From Trash

Frost King “No Itch” Insulation is made from 100% recycled denim. This insulation can be used for insulation, cushioning and noise dampening. It’s nonirritating, so there’s no need for gloves, goggles or masks when installing—and it can be easily torn and ripped to fit in between joists and around pipes and ducts. It is made … Read more

Five Green Homes in Taos, New Mexico

Ross and Kristin Ulibarri live in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Valverde Commons, a senior co-housing community within walking distance of historic Taos Plaza in New Mexico. Its sculpted adobe-style exterior makes it look like a traditional Southwestern dwelling. The house has triple-glazed windows and air-tight insulation, so it rarely needs any heating beyond the … Read more